Bad scares and broken vehicles are part of the sport, but most drivers get used to it, said Bree Molitor, a regional rock racer, as the drivers are called. Usually, the worst blow is delivered to the driver's pride.

That blow is all the worse when you are one of the only female drivers in a male-dominated sport and you shatter a rear pinion in front of 800,000 viewers watching from all over the world via the Internet, Molitor ...